I received an e-mail from a curator from an organization called Visual AIDS. Visual AIDS was Founded in 1988, and it is the only Arts organization that is fully committed to increasing HIV/AIDS awareness and creating dialog around HIV issues today. Visual AIDS produces and presents visual art projects, exhibitions, public forums and publications, while assisting artists living with HIV.
I was invited by Visual AIDS to come up to NY and speak on a panel. It was amazing I really enjoyed myself. It put somethings into prospective for me. One aspect about being an artist sometimes you never know how much for work impacts others and how much it impacts you to see it through another person’s eyes. I got very emotional seeing the message I sent to my brothers it was hard but it helped me a little bit. Thank you to the curators Jean Carlomusto, Alexandra Juhasz and Hugh Ryan. Also, thank you so much to Alex Fialho who helped me with transportation and hung out with me for a bit while in NY. The exhibit was called, “Everyday”. "Everyday" explores the AIDS crisis (historically and currently) through the lens of art and ephemera that looks at and evidences daily experiences & practices in response to HIV/AIDS.
The exhibition includes artwork and ephemera by Babycastles, Anne Balsamo, Barton Lidice Beneš, Jean Carlomusto, Curtis Carman, Paul Chisholm, Ian Clyde, darkroom danny, T De Long, Chloe Dzubilo, Delphine Fawundu-Buford, fierce pussy, Avram Finkelstein, Peggy Frank, Fuck Laws Flash Collective, Gay Men's Health Crisis, Carl George, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, John Hanning, Eva Hayward, Edward Hochschild, Mark S. King, Kia Labeija, Carol Leigh, Nancer Lemoins, Gin Fong Louie, Dale MacDonald, Joyce McDonald, Juanita Mohammed, Ray Navarro, Luna Luis Ortiz, Grahame Perry, Poster Virus, LJ Roberts, Randy Freedomclay Rogers, Fábian Rios Rubino, Ivan Safrin, Dudley Saunders, Loren Schmidt, James Simmonds, Michael Slocum, Southern Living AIDS Quilt, Zara Steadman, Hugh Steers, Nelson Sullivan, Justin B. Terry-Smith, Prashast Thapan, The NAMES Project, James Wentzy, Frederick Weston, Jessica Whitbread, Jon Winet, Albert Winn and Tanya Wischerath.
This is the first time Justin’s HIV Journal was showcased in a galleria then to go to the Brooklyn Museum and see Justin’s HIV Journal on a big screen was amazing.
A very special shoutout to Drea De Aragao and Damien Basile for coming out and supporting me!!!
Click the link to go to the Visual AIDS site
https://www.visualaids.org/events/detail/everyday
